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It's Fun to Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!

Griffin, I saw this last week and I was hoping you got to see it! It was the Kennedy Center Honors, and one of the honorees was Buddy Guy. I know Tracy Chapman is a favorite of yours. I'm pretty sure a few others of you will like this too. Bonnie Raitt and Jeff Beck also took part in his tribute.

Of course, my main reason for watching the Kennedy Center Honors was to get glimpses of my favorite older man crush, Jimmy Page. Led Zeppelin was also honored. I don't care if Jimmy's about to turn 69!

Lenny Kravitz, Ann and Nancy Wilson from Heart, Kid Rock and the Foo Fighters all paid tribute. It was a good set(except for the part with Kid Rock).

I am very tired of Stairway to Heaven, and initially groaned when I heard it start. It was actually a great performance, and Jason Bonham played the drums. It starts out small and turns into quite the production. Watching Yo-Yo Ma rock out to it was fun too.

I'm sure BillyO wouldn't mind me having an affair with Jimmy Page, if he could come play Jimmy's guitars hehehe

Aimee, thanks for providing some of the highlights of the Kennedy Center Honors. I didn't get to see it, and am sorry I missed it. I truly appreciate your postings of some of my favorite artists. I enjoyed them all.

Good morning everyone. I'm just dropping by briefly today, though I've listened to and enjoyed all of the postings. Right now I'm trying to catch up on some piano time before I have my lesson. I'm also working on the Sunday postings. I'll check in again later!

Has anyone else made a stupid new years resolution that they have no chance of sticking to?Or maybe broken it allready?

I am on the brink because I was "meant" to give up ammeretto , which was a hasty and ill conceived resolution if ever there was one.. methinks allready.

Rossy, I swore off making New Years resolutions many years ago. I know they are helpful for some. However, I've found them to be a nuisance for me. I've found it much more satisfactory to say to myself, "well let's see what I'll get accomplished this year!" It's kind of like how i think of my piano studies; I'll just take this journey and see where it leads me.

Anyway, that works better for me. That way I'm not mad at myself for making a resolution that was probably unrealistic in the first place.

I have given myself until December 31, 2013 to have completed my task every day for three weeks. It will be the 11th of December before I know that I've failed and can give up trying. If I make it, three weeks is enough for it to become a new habit and I will have passed the difficult first stage towards permanence. If I fail I have three weeks of steeling myself for a stronger assault in 2014 with the assistance of eleven months practise at trying (to a greater or lesser degree) to raise the probability of future success and a more irate wife for added incentive.

As to the Amaretto, they say that alcoholism is a constant thirsting for a drink. Personally, I never let it get that far!

I went today to Dublin to choose between a CLP-470, CA-65 and HP-505 to replace my aging and aged CLP-500. I had treasured moments on grand pianos of enough worth to ridicule the size of my mortgage and intimate moments on some more sensibly priced uprights to refresh my memories - it's over seventeen years since I played an acoustic piano.

Normally the quality of sound is secondary to my ability to manipulate it but early in the afternoon my heart was stolen - by a soundboard.

This evening I'm expectantly awaiting delivery of a CA-95 in rosewood with the blessing of my better half.

I have given myself until December 31, 2013 to have completed my task every day for three weeks. It will be the 11th of December before I know that I've failed and can give up trying. If I make it, three weeks is enough for it to become a new habit and I will have passed the difficult first stage towards permanence. If I fail I have three weeks of steeling myself for a stronger assault in 2014 with the assistance of eleven months practise at trying (to a greater or lesser degree) to raise the probability of future success and a more irate wife for added incentive.

Dear Mr. Poster-formerly-known-as-Richard,What the HECK (yes, only heck) are you talking about?What task? Is this some Irish code we are to figure out?

The 'task' was intended to be non specific rather than cryptic and was in direct response to Rossy. It could be giving up smoking, Amaretto or, as in my case, taking up extra housework - though this isn't as much a new years resolution as a constant new year's instruction and is now, unfortunately, compounded by my having to show gratitude and just desserts for the new instrument!

The name Richard is still perfectly acceptable in most parts of the world and is generally preferred to Dick. Strange that the contraction, normally a sign of impotence, despite not having the 'hard' on, is still, er, dicky. The problem is that it can, at a stroke, swell out of all proportion and, er, 'end up' being a bit of a mouthful. Even, or especially, when handled carefully.

The monicker, once you understand the system, is actually easier to get to grips with. Back in the late eighties when the company opened it's mainframe to the employee roll in general we were given a 'Z-id' as a compromise between our names, which can have duplicates, and an impersonal account number, which cannot. A z-id constitutes a 'z' prefix to distinguish it easily from normal words, the persons initials, RTF in my case - not as easy as Geoffrey Ian Matheson (why do you call him Jim if his name's Geoff? ask the new employees) and not as hard as William Trevelyan Featherstonehaugh (pronounced 'Fanshaw') which produces less endearing initials these days than they did back then.

Finally there's a 90 added on - no-one knew why - and duplicate initials were distinguished by successive numbers. Bud Flanagan was zrtf91. I don't know what Bud was short for. There was a zjwb92 but I never knew of a '93'. I have lived with zrtf90 comfortably for over twenty years.

If the consensus is that it's too much of a mouthful - sorry, back to my forename again - I will request of the moderators a change to something more commodious for those that have difficulties reading or typing.

Thank you for the congrats on my new purchase. I have not forgotten that I owe you a performance of Schubert's A-flat Impromptu. I hope to barge into the the piano bars in the coming year with this, and other trifles, in celebration.

I would love to retort back that you can call me a) anytime or b) anything except late for dinner, alas, the lines are someone else's.

I once worked with a chap who called his son Ian because he didn't like people contracting names. He was aghast to learn that his friends began to call him "Ee"! I have a nephew, Ian, two close firends from the UK and and one colleague. I'm quite surprised that the name is not popular in the US.

I feel I would be happier responding to something generic such as sir, guv'nor, squire, mate or 'oi you!' than I would to a name I associate with someone else. After oh, so many years ignoring anything addressed to an Ian I suspect I may continue in that vein.

It may grow on me if you preceeded such correspondence with "Mr. Poster-formerly-known-as-Richard-but-not-wishing-him-to-be-associated-with-hardness-of-the-kind-that-might-be-embarrassing-if-he-were-called-Dick-so-I'm-choosing-something-else-entirely (hereinafter referred to as "Ian")".

And then again, it may not.

____________________

Originally Posted By: Recaredo

Don’t hesitate to post some photos when the piano arrives

Originally Posted By: Griffin

I'm looking forward to seeing some photos when the piano arrives

Originally Posted By: BeccaBb

Hope we get to see pics once you have your new baby home!

I am perplexed about the fascination with photos! I very much doubt my efforts will realise as good an image as can be seen in the brochure or in countless images in the piano retailer sites. I will get one of my sons to do the work - I have a Nikon FM which needs to have the film developed and then scanned in. My son has one of these new-fangled digital things that have a small TV screen on the back and fits in a shirt pocket.

I wonder if there's anything particular you're expecting to see in the pics? If I knew what the fascination was I might be able to include it.

Thank you all for you generous thoughts. It's a CA-95, Recaredo; like a CA-65 but with the soundboard speaker and extra wattage for announcing the purchase to the neighbours. I don't think my neighbours will hear it though; they might be 'next door' but there's a good deal of space between the houses and there's no-one on the other side for half a mile.

I would love to retort back that you can call me a) anytime or b) anything except late for dinner, alas, the lines are someone else's.

I once worked with a chap who called his son Ian because he didn't like people contracting names. He was aghast to learn that his friends began to call him "Ee"! I have a nephew, Ian, two close firends from the UK and and one colleague. I'm quite surprised that the name is not popular in the US.

I feel I would be happier responding to something generic such as sir, guv'nor, squire, mate or 'oi you!' than I would to a name I associate with someone else. After oh, so many years ignoring anything addressed to an Ian I suspect I may continue in that vein.

It may grow on me if you preceeded such correspondence with "Mr. Poster-formerly-known-as-Richard-but-not-wishing-him-to-be-associated-with-hardness-of-the-kind-that-might-be-embarrassing-if-he-were-called-Dick-so-I'm-choosing-something-else-entirely (hereinafter referred to as "Ian")".

And then again, it may not.

Ok, ok, I understand and "Ian" is out. I am still hoping to incorporate that name into my lexicon at some point in my lifetime! I may have to resume "Richard" ....for now....thinking...thinking.....hmmmm.

Rossy, help me out here, this is right up your alley!

(can't recall if I've posted this before...brings back memories for me....nice ones....)

I've just been reminded of this - by a Dubliners post on another thread not this discussion of hardness. I stood up and sang this for my wife, solo and a capella, on our anniversary in a restaurant. She loves this song. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done (hardness again, see), but, bless her, she made it worthwhile later.

Rostosky
3000 Post Club Member
Registered: 04/30/11
Posts: 3339
Loc: Lost in cyberspace.in the UK.

Yes, here I am and this is me weighing in. ZRFT90, is just too difficult to keep ( remembering) typing, so Professor Quentin de viagra would seem a more apt and easily remembered handle.

Quentin was the name of the uncle in the famous five books that (funnily enough Dick included) the kids used to go to when they had problems, if I remember right there was Dick, julian,georgina, and another girl ( cant remember but someone will) and timmy the dog.

Pianojoys alter ego name is miss spentyouth, but she keeps it secret.

Well I knew it was stupid to ( agree to) try and give up ammeretto, and so I havent, because after just four very long days I just had to get another bottle to check if I was missing it, and guess what?

I was.

Whatever gets you through the night was a John Lennon song I believe, i think he meant whatever gets you through the day as well. Or, whatever gets you through anything at all at anytime ever. ( you have to read inbetween lennons lines though to get that)

Anyways, as its not as popular or commercial as southern comfort or jack daniels I feel it my duty to keep enjoying it even if its just for the sake of being different.

Hopefully no one will die in the new year that I like, so (Hopefully) I shouldnt have to drink to excess as a result of fear of my own mortality being raised by their demise.

If you rearrange the letters in "griffin" you get a very different monika indeed, as a clue it rhymes with rigging.

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Rise like lions after slumber,in unvanquishable number. Shake your chains to earth like dewwhich in sleep has fallen on you. Ye are many,they are few. Shelley